Diet and Back Pain

With the holiday season approaching, we thought it would be an excellent time to remind you about how important diet is for back health. Diet alone is likely not the main cause of your back pain but can be a significant contributor. Proper nutrition can also reduce inflammation that can lead to back pain.

Can Your Diet Affect Back Pain?

It’s an interesting question, and you may or may not be surprised to hear that the answer is yes, at least in part. Many chiropractors recommend a healthy lifestyle to help relieve back pain. In general, this means getting enough sleep, exercising, and maintaining proper nutrition habits. Spine-health.com offers some tips to create a back-friendly diet:

Hydrate, but stay away from sugary drinks and alcohol

Have balance and moderation in your food choices

Learn about nutrients and supplements that can help

 
Proper nutrition keeps you within a healthy weight range and a healthy BMI range. It also provides essential nutrients.

Lifting Heavy Weight and Back Pain

The more weight you carry, the more likely you are to experience back pain. It’s also important to exercise because lack of muscle supporting the spine makes excess weight harder to carry and increases your risk for back pain.

Nutrition and Back Pain

A well-balanced diet also gives your body the nutrients it needs to function correctly. When considering back pain, it is advised to include anti-inflammatory foods into your diet because inflammation is a known cause of back pain.

Everydayhealth.com suggests incorporating anti-inflammatory foods. Some of the foods are:

Plant-based foods that include such things as flax and chia seeds, especially when eaten in combination with omega-3-rich cold-water fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring, black cod, tuna, and trout.

Deeply colored fruits and vegetables such as kale, spinach, and broccoli

Berries

Grapes and red wine

Herbs and spices, including basil, cinnamon, ginger, rosemary, garlic, curcumin, onions, oregano, and turmeric

Herbal teas and true teas (green, oolong, and white)

Olive oil

Avocados; nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans, and Brazil nuts)

Lean proteins, such as chicken and turkey

Beans

Cocoa

The article also lists foods to avoid or limit, such as:

Processed foods

Fast foods

Saturated fats

Caffeine

Alcohol

Some other nutrients to be sure to incorporate are calcium and vitamin D. These are important nutrients because they help ease and reduce the risk for back pain. It is critical to remember to add these in appropriate amounts. More is not always better. It is advised that you consult with a professional to take into consideration both quantity and any potential negative reactions these may have with other medications you may be taking.

Total Chiropractic and Diet

According to the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners, a basic premise of chiropractic is “the body is capable of achieving and maintaining health through its natural recuperative powers, provided it has a properly functioning nervous system and receives the necessary health maintenance components. These include adequate nutrition, water, rest, exercise, and clean air.” Total Chiropractic and Wellness is proud to incorporate lifestyle advice into our array of services.